Democrats may have lost a lot of races to Republicans this election, but the upstream re-election victory of Congress' freshman class president, Martin Heinrich (D-NM), deserves a second look.
Heinrich was re-elected to a traditionally Republican seat, in a state that had just elected a Republican governor. His Republican opponent, Jon Barela, was favored to win by the latest Albuquerque Journal poll. The campaign against Martin Heinrich was estimated as the 14th most expensive among congressional races this year, largely thanks to late donations to Barela by external organizations.
How did Heinrich win against these odds? What can Democrats learn from Heinrich's upstream victory?
When Heinrich took the stage for his victory speech, he credited the courage of convictions for his victory: "Unlike a lot of other folks this year, I never shrank from the fact that I was proud to have voted for health care reform."
Indeed, as a congressman and as a city councilor prior to that, Heinrich has been consistent and clear about his beliefs, and who he is. Raised by an immigrant father and a mother who worked for Wal-Mart and in factories, Heinrich caught the attention of the national Democratic Party when he succeeded in raising Albuquerque's minimum wage, as a city councilor. A Democrat, Heinrich has also never shied away from being an avid huntsman who often stocks his family's freezer with fresh venison for the winter.
While giving his victory speech, he held his sleepy four-year-old son in his arms. Newspaper photos of Heinrich on election night, also feature the kid's back.
Heinrich gives a clear message about who he is: a father, engineer, conservationist, huntsman and a proud believer in health care reform.
A clear message.
Isn't that one of the main strengths of Republicans and tea partiers who were victorious this election?